Graded stakes winner and champion-producing sire Stormin Fever was euthanized due to the infirmities of old age June 22.
The 23-year-old son of Storm Cat—Pennant Fever, by Seattle Slew, was pensioned following the 2016 breeding season and has been under the care of a former employee of the Mabee family's Golden Eagle Farm, where he stood from 2008-14. Stormin Fever stood for two seasons at Rancho Temescal, north of Los Angeles, and then was returned to Ramona, Calif., when he was pensioned.
Bred and raced by the late Edward "Ned" Evans, Stormin Fever won in his second start at 2 at Saratoga Race Course and was graded stakes-placed at 3, when he finished third in the Withers Stakes (G2). At 4, he won the grade 3 Sport Page Handicap and finished second in the Vosburgh Stakes (G1), Philip H. Iselin Handicap (G2), and the Salvator Mile Handicap (G3).
He retired from racing with an 8-6-2 record out of 21 starts and earned $484,664.
Stormin Fever entered stud at Airdrie Stud near Midway, Ky., and became a top-10 freshman sire in 2003. Group 2 winner Howick Falls, winner of the Polypipe Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster, was the top performer among his five first-crop, black-type stakes performers. He sired 29 black-type winners and 11 graded/group winners, including 2010 Canadian Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old filly Biofuel, who was also named 2009 champion 2-year-old filly; and grade 1 winners Sweet Talker, Check the Label, and Tarlow.
As a broodmare sire, Stormin Fever has been represented by 10 black-type winners and three graded/group winners. His daughters Sweet Talker and Tarlow are both black-type producers. Sweet Talker is the dam of graded-placed winner Perregaux (Distorted Humor ) and stakes winner Sweet Tapper (Tapit ), while Tarlow produced stakes-placed winner Katie's Garden (Elusive Quality) and two other winners.
